Collection
Description
"In the final Sandman tale, Morpheus makes the ultimate decision between change and death. As one journey for the Endless ends, another begins for the Lord of Dreams and his family, bringing with it a time of reflection and a sad celebration. It's a wake in which friends and loved ones, relatives and rivals, fleeting lovers and immortal enemies gather to pay their respsects and to mourn their loss."--
Language
Original language
English
User reviews
LibraryThing member asciiphil
Endless Nights is another book from Neil Gaiman in the world of The Sandman. It contains seven stories, one for each of the Endless. It is ... impressive.
Each of the stories captures the personality of one of the Endless. Possibly the weakest of them in that respect are Death's and Dream's, but
Probably my favorites from the set are Desire's and Destiny's stories. Each is a succinct encapsulation of its respective Endless's personality, combined with some stunning artwork. Death's, Dream's, Delirium's, and Destruction's are all good stories, with excellent artwork of their own. Despair's story is probably the one most different from the others, and while it's very well done, I can't say that I enjoyed it, largely because it isn't really meant to be enjoyed. I'll say simply that it is very well executed, contains superb artwork, and I had to rest for a while after reading it to recover.
If you're a fan of Sandman, buy this book. If you're not familiar with Sandman, a lot of the point of this will be missing. It's probably still worth reading for the artwork alone, but the Endless are what really drive this book.
For my part, I'm very happy to place this book on my shelf beside my other Sandman novels.
Each of the stories captures the personality of one of the Endless. Possibly the weakest of them in that respect are Death's and Dream's, but
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they're also probably the most prominent characters in the Sandman series, so the lapse is forgivable, especially since Dream's gives some very nice backstory for the Endless.Probably my favorites from the set are Desire's and Destiny's stories. Each is a succinct encapsulation of its respective Endless's personality, combined with some stunning artwork. Death's, Dream's, Delirium's, and Destruction's are all good stories, with excellent artwork of their own. Despair's story is probably the one most different from the others, and while it's very well done, I can't say that I enjoyed it, largely because it isn't really meant to be enjoyed. I'll say simply that it is very well executed, contains superb artwork, and I had to rest for a while after reading it to recover.
If you're a fan of Sandman, buy this book. If you're not familiar with Sandman, a lot of the point of this will be missing. It's probably still worth reading for the artwork alone, but the Endless are what really drive this book.
For my part, I'm very happy to place this book on my shelf beside my other Sandman novels.
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LibraryThing member xicanti
Seven stories featuring the Endless.
Is this absolutely essential Sandman reading? Probably not. The stories are very stand-alone; they don't add much to the storyline from the original series. You could easily skip over them.
But really, why would you want to?
This is a nice, solid collection. As is
While the stories work as stand-alones, they do some interesting things with the material from the main series. I found Dream's story particularly interesting in that it was so completely unlike what we'd seen before. Desire, his favourite sibling? Death, grumpy? Not to mention Delight and the first Despair. Delirium's story also brings us back into contact with some old friends, and her presence in Destruction's tale raises a whole host of questions. It's all good stuff. Not earth-shattering stuff, but definitely something you don't want to miss if you enjoyed the main series at all.
And the art... don't even get me started on the art. This volume contains some of the best Sandman art to see print. Each of the seven artists has created something that jives just perfectly with the character. The book is as enjoyable to look at as it is to read.
Highly recommended to Sandman fans.
Is this absolutely essential Sandman reading? Probably not. The stories are very stand-alone; they don't add much to the storyline from the original series. You could easily skip over them.
But really, why would you want to?
This is a nice, solid collection. As is
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the case with most Sandman stories, the Endless themselves are more of a presence than a focus. They influence the outcomes, but the stories aren't really about them. Death makes a lasting impression on a young man visiting Venice, who helps her kill a few hundred people who've trapped themselves in a time bubble. (Non-Sandman readers, this isn't nearly as gruesome as it sounds!) Desire takes an interest in a young woman who longs for a man with all her heart. Dream introduces a lover to his family, with unforeseen consequences. Despair watches visitors to her realm. A whole host of crazy people pull Delirium back from the brink. Destruction deforms a small corner of the universe. And Destiny wanders around his garden, as per usual.While the stories work as stand-alones, they do some interesting things with the material from the main series. I found Dream's story particularly interesting in that it was so completely unlike what we'd seen before. Desire, his favourite sibling? Death, grumpy? Not to mention Delight and the first Despair. Delirium's story also brings us back into contact with some old friends, and her presence in Destruction's tale raises a whole host of questions. It's all good stuff. Not earth-shattering stuff, but definitely something you don't want to miss if you enjoyed the main series at all.
And the art... don't even get me started on the art. This volume contains some of the best Sandman art to see print. Each of the seven artists has created something that jives just perfectly with the character. The book is as enjoyable to look at as it is to read.
Highly recommended to Sandman fans.
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LibraryThing member TurtleKnitta
Although not up to par with the rest of the Sandman series, I found this collection to be a fascinating exploration of the Endless. I read it before I finished Sandman, so I'm sure there are more connections to the Sandman series than I was aware of. The art was very beautiful and I think this is
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something to be seen more than read. Show Less
LibraryThing member ForeverMasterless
To the best of my knowledge there have been three Gaiman-written additions to the Sandman universe since the core series was completed, not including the spin-offs. The Dream Hunters, Overture, and Endless Nights. I didn't really care for Dream Hunters, I loved Overture, but this is the one that
Death and Venice (5/5)
A rich count/alchemist seals off his island estate from time so that nobody ever ages or dies and they live the same day and night for eternity. In modern day the count's fortress has been burned down and ravaged by time and all that stands are stone ruins and an old iron gate. A young boy picnics with his family on the island and he meets Death of the Endless, who encourages him to try breaking down the gate, but he can't. Now a grown man serving in the military and on leave, he revisits the island and finds Death once again sitting in front of the gate, which she again encourages him to break. Bigger and stronger, he's able to kick the bars free of their crumbling stone frame, taking them back to 1751 and exposing the count and his supporters to the reality of time and death once more.
I absolutely adored this story. It's classic Sandman. It was familiar, comfortable, and deeply satisfying. The perfect way to ease you into a collection. The way it alternates between the count's story and the soldier's story is fantastic. You don't understand how they're related at first, but then it flashes back to the soldier's childhood memory of standing in front of the ruins talking to Death and it clicks. Such a fantastic feeling.
What I've Tasted of Desire (4/5)
In a small village a woman falls in love with a man, winds up desiring him with such intensity that the Desire shows up and has a talk with her. A talk that changes her, makes her more confident, more alluring, more in control, and allows her to win the love of the fickle man she desires and, later, to trick the men who kill him and bring his head to her dinner table by making them desire her enough to wrestle each other naked on the floor until the village men come back from hunting and slaughter the intruders. This is also classic Sandman, perhaps even moreso than the first story. It probably wouldn't have been one of the most memorable were it in the original series though. It's perhaps a little too familiar, and a little too simple. None of those standalone stories from the original series were bad by any means, but there were definitely some that I read and didn't spend much time thinking about afterwards, and I'd put this right in line with those. Very good, but not among the best of the best for me.
The Heart of a Star (5/5)
How could Dream's story be anything but incredible? First of all, there's a tiny framing device where the Sun is telling a story to the Earth about a time he met Dream when he was very young. How goddamn cool is that? Immediately I saw similarities to the newest Sandman comic, Overture. That story is about a star going mad, and Dream winds up talking to anthropomorphized stars, which I thought was clever. Turns out, Gaiman already did the talking star thing over a decade earlier in this story.
Anyway, this story is about Dream bringing his new girlfriend (an ancestor of the guardians of the universe with incomplete control over her green lantern energy) to meet his family at a party/business event where stars and other big players in the universe discuss politics, essentially. A pre-Delirium Delight shows up, and a previous incarnation of Despair talks to Krypton's star, Rao, about the idea of a lone survivor of a world-shattering event that continually mourns his lost home, an allusion to Superman.
When Dream's girlfriend meets the star of her own solar system, it quickly becomes clear that she was only cool with all of this because she didn't truly understand what was happening. She freaks out a bit, but then makes out with and ultimately falls in love with her sun, who has watched over her all her life. It's implied that Desire may have had something to do with it. Dream walks in on them kissing, gets pissy, and leaves the party. This scene has the best quote:"I think he saw us."
"Why should that scare you? You are a sun."
"I am a sun, certainly. But he is Dream. They say Death is kinder than he is."
Fifteen Portraits of Despair (3/5)
My least favorite of the collection. It's basically a bunch of quick vignettes of various people in various life situations that cause them despair, or ruminations on the nature of despair as an abstract concept. Not having much text, it's mostly a showcase for the art, which I was just not that into. Cool idea. Execution could have been better.
Going Inside (4/5)
This, along with Despair, make up the two "weird" stories of the collection. The art style is similar at points, having that chaotic, rough sketch, abstract look. It's much better realized, though, and it's mixed in with a couple different styles. The story is a bit hard to follow, which I suppose makes sense for a story about Delirium. Near as I can tell, it's about several mentally ill people being brought together to save Delirium from some kind of struggle she's having within herself. She's retreated so far into her realm of madness due to some kind of hurt she's experienced and only the insane can venture safely in and bring her back out. Her story is paralleled by one of the people who help her, a woman who retreated into a state of catatonia after being assaulted but after saving Delirium she comes out of it, ready to face the world again. Which will be hard seeing as how she's still insane, but hey, it's still better I guess?
On the Peninsula (5/5)
A woman has recurring dreams about various apocalyptic scenarios that start to bleed into her waking life. She agrees to join a top secret archaeological dig that her friend sets her up with because she feels a big change will help get rid of her dreams. The dig is at a peninsula that is unearthing artifacts from the future. Pennies with dates fifty years in the future, high tech ammunition that hasn't been invented yet, time magazines that predict a coming war, etc. Also on the peninsula are Destruction and Delirium, who the woman assumes are hippie tourists. She becomes infatuated with Destruction, but eventually the US government gets wind of the high tech weapons they've found and secures the site, forcing the woman to return home. After she leaves the peninsula explodes in a flash of light, never to be seen again.
Endless Nights (5/5)
I imagine it's very hard to write a story about Destiny. He is the most mysterious of the Endless, and the one with the least personality. Gaiman took one of the only approaches you could and simply wrote a short, powerful vignette about Destiny's nature, about what it means to be him, about what it means to be us in a universe where he exists. There aren't many words. Much like Despair, it's an art showcase, and the art is fantastic.
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feels most like the original series. It is classic Sandman in both tone, quality, and art. With the possible exception of Despair and Delirium's stories, you could put these right in with the original series and they wouldn't seem at all out of place. Which makes the fact that I've owned this book for years even stranger. I don't know why it took me so long to get around to it. Death and Venice (5/5)
A rich count/alchemist seals off his island estate from time so that nobody ever ages or dies and they live the same day and night for eternity. In modern day the count's fortress has been burned down and ravaged by time and all that stands are stone ruins and an old iron gate. A young boy picnics with his family on the island and he meets Death of the Endless, who encourages him to try breaking down the gate, but he can't. Now a grown man serving in the military and on leave, he revisits the island and finds Death once again sitting in front of the gate, which she again encourages him to break. Bigger and stronger, he's able to kick the bars free of their crumbling stone frame, taking them back to 1751 and exposing the count and his supporters to the reality of time and death once more.
I absolutely adored this story. It's classic Sandman. It was familiar, comfortable, and deeply satisfying. The perfect way to ease you into a collection. The way it alternates between the count's story and the soldier's story is fantastic. You don't understand how they're related at first, but then it flashes back to the soldier's childhood memory of standing in front of the ruins talking to Death and it clicks. Such a fantastic feeling.
What I've Tasted of Desire (4/5)
In a small village a woman falls in love with a man, winds up desiring him with such intensity that the Desire shows up and has a talk with her. A talk that changes her, makes her more confident, more alluring, more in control, and allows her to win the love of the fickle man she desires and, later, to trick the men who kill him and bring his head to her dinner table by making them desire her enough to wrestle each other naked on the floor until the village men come back from hunting and slaughter the intruders. This is also classic Sandman, perhaps even moreso than the first story. It probably wouldn't have been one of the most memorable were it in the original series though. It's perhaps a little too familiar, and a little too simple. None of those standalone stories from the original series were bad by any means, but there were definitely some that I read and didn't spend much time thinking about afterwards, and I'd put this right in line with those. Very good, but not among the best of the best for me.
The Heart of a Star (5/5)
How could Dream's story be anything but incredible? First of all, there's a tiny framing device where the Sun is telling a story to the Earth about a time he met Dream when he was very young. How goddamn cool is that? Immediately I saw similarities to the newest Sandman comic, Overture. That story is about a star going mad, and Dream winds up talking to anthropomorphized stars, which I thought was clever. Turns out, Gaiman already did the talking star thing over a decade earlier in this story.
Anyway, this story is about Dream bringing his new girlfriend (an ancestor of the guardians of the universe with incomplete control over her green lantern energy) to meet his family at a party/business event where stars and other big players in the universe discuss politics, essentially. A pre-Delirium Delight shows up, and a previous incarnation of Despair talks to Krypton's star, Rao, about the idea of a lone survivor of a world-shattering event that continually mourns his lost home, an allusion to Superman.
When Dream's girlfriend meets the star of her own solar system, it quickly becomes clear that she was only cool with all of this because she didn't truly understand what was happening. She freaks out a bit, but then makes out with and ultimately falls in love with her sun, who has watched over her all her life. It's implied that Desire may have had something to do with it. Dream walks in on them kissing, gets pissy, and leaves the party. This scene has the best quote:"I think he saw us."
"Why should that scare you? You are a sun."
"I am a sun, certainly. But he is Dream. They say Death is kinder than he is."
Fifteen Portraits of Despair (3/5)
My least favorite of the collection. It's basically a bunch of quick vignettes of various people in various life situations that cause them despair, or ruminations on the nature of despair as an abstract concept. Not having much text, it's mostly a showcase for the art, which I was just not that into. Cool idea. Execution could have been better.
Going Inside (4/5)
This, along with Despair, make up the two "weird" stories of the collection. The art style is similar at points, having that chaotic, rough sketch, abstract look. It's much better realized, though, and it's mixed in with a couple different styles. The story is a bit hard to follow, which I suppose makes sense for a story about Delirium. Near as I can tell, it's about several mentally ill people being brought together to save Delirium from some kind of struggle she's having within herself. She's retreated so far into her realm of madness due to some kind of hurt she's experienced and only the insane can venture safely in and bring her back out. Her story is paralleled by one of the people who help her, a woman who retreated into a state of catatonia after being assaulted but after saving Delirium she comes out of it, ready to face the world again. Which will be hard seeing as how she's still insane, but hey, it's still better I guess?
On the Peninsula (5/5)
A woman has recurring dreams about various apocalyptic scenarios that start to bleed into her waking life. She agrees to join a top secret archaeological dig that her friend sets her up with because she feels a big change will help get rid of her dreams. The dig is at a peninsula that is unearthing artifacts from the future. Pennies with dates fifty years in the future, high tech ammunition that hasn't been invented yet, time magazines that predict a coming war, etc. Also on the peninsula are Destruction and Delirium, who the woman assumes are hippie tourists. She becomes infatuated with Destruction, but eventually the US government gets wind of the high tech weapons they've found and secures the site, forcing the woman to return home. After she leaves the peninsula explodes in a flash of light, never to be seen again.
Endless Nights (5/5)
I imagine it's very hard to write a story about Destiny. He is the most mysterious of the Endless, and the one with the least personality. Gaiman took one of the only approaches you could and simply wrote a short, powerful vignette about Destiny's nature, about what it means to be him, about what it means to be us in a universe where he exists. There aren't many words. Much like Despair, it's an art showcase, and the art is fantastic.
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LibraryThing member kaminariman
A fantastic addition to the Sandman mythos, encompassing Gaiman's eccentric eclectic style. Each of the stories focuses on one of the Endless, beings beyond gods, yet as real and convincing as human characters. The individual art styles are respectively unique and excellent. This book just serves
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to prove that Neil Gaiman's creative prowess increases with each new story. Show Less
LibraryThing member jawalter
The stories here are a little uneven (Destruction's, in particular, seems extraordinarily weak), but the gems truly shine out. I'm particularly fond of Desire's and Dream's, while the stories for Despair and Delirium both do a terrific job of capturing their particular ethos.
Mostly, I'm angry that
Mostly, I'm angry that
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(with the exception of Death's story) none of these made it into any of the Absolute collections. What' the problem? Show Less
LibraryThing member crazyjerseygirl
My only signed book in the whole library. So what if it's a comic-book? You gotta problem with that?
LibraryThing member Niecierpek
It’s the last of the Sandman series (so far). It
consists of seven chapters and seven stories: Death, Desire, Dream, Despair, Delirium, Destruction, and Destiny. Each story is llustrated by a different illustrator, which gives the book a lovely eclectic look. The storylines are
pathetically lame
The illustrations though, are absolutely heavenly! Beautiful. Some are better than others, my favourite illustrator being Bill Sienkiewicz.
consists of seven chapters and seven stories: Death, Desire, Dream, Despair, Delirium, Destruction, and Destiny. Each story is llustrated by a different illustrator, which gives the book a lovely eclectic look. The storylines are
pathetically lame
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-sorry, this is the only description that comes to my mind, except “Desire” whose premise is not new, but fairly decent. The illustrations though, are absolutely heavenly! Beautiful. Some are better than others, my favourite illustrator being Bill Sienkiewicz.
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LibraryThing member stipe168
One story for every Endless. That is, 7 stories. Delerium's story was confusing and Despair's was fractured.. and that's the way it should be. Beautiful art and Gaiman's quality storytelling.. i want more and more and more and more....
LibraryThing member ironicqueery
Each chapter is about one of the Endless. Death's was the best - the most involved plot by far. The other stories were quick, for the most part. Despair's was more about the graphic design than plot. The others fell somewhere in the middle. However, as all Sandman is, nice plot and lovely design
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and art. Show Less
LibraryThing member elmyra
Re-read this after my recent re-reading of the full Sandman series. My favourite stories in this are probably Delirium and Destruction, closely followed by Death. I like some of the 15 Portraits of Despair, and I really dislike the artwork in the Desire story. Women don't look like that. Not
Now re-reading Dream Hunters, which has already made me cry on Chapter 2.
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without a hell of a lot of photoshopping, mmkay? Now re-reading Dream Hunters, which has already made me cry on Chapter 2.
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LibraryThing member RogueBelle
Uneven -- I really enjoyed some of the stories, but found a few (Despair, particularly) a little too much in the way of indulging art for art's sake. "Death and Venice", "What I've Tasted of Desire", and "On the Peninsula" are my favourites from this edition.
LibraryThing member Radaghast
A tour-de-force. Sandman is more than a comic book, it is one of the finest stories of the century.
LibraryThing member pokylittlepuppy
This is a really good idea for a story collection, so I'm really glad this exists as an addendum, or whatever it is. It would have been good to have had more of this through the rest of the series, actually. The rest of the Endless are at least as interesting as Dream, and often
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moreso.Unfortunately the stories didn't really help with the feeling that some of them are underdeveloped, more concepts than characters. Destiny's chapter, for example -- what's the point? It's not particularly poetic. I still don't know what he does except carry this book. While lacking story and new information on the character, the poetic chapter for Despair is still really really good. Destruction's was my second favorite, because it managed something of a story too. Most of the rest of them are also well worth reading.But it's a little annoying to have a 100% completion on this series now and still have a lot of canonical questions. What happened to "the first Despair", and to Delight? Those are probably really good ideas of Gaiman's, so they should probably have been stories, and this was the opportunity. It's good to keep me thinking about it, but I'd probably be thinking about it even more if I knew the answers. Show Less
LibraryThing member wilsonknut
I have not read the other Sandman books yet, so I could tell there were back-stories in this that I didn't know. Bill Sienkiewicz's art in Delirium's story is excellent and is the highlight of the book for me. I'm still not decided about this "universe" of characters.
LibraryThing member heidilove
I waited forever for this to come in, and then it was over all too soon.
LibraryThing member sweetiegherkin
This books contains seven stories, each dealing with one of the siblings known as "the Endless." The Endless are a creation from Neil Gaiman's The Sandman comic series, and this book is an add-on to that series. Unfortunately for me, I inter-library loaned this book via my library not paying enough
As a product, this is an absolutely gorgeous book. Separating each chapter are these beautiful photographs that carry a mask theme tying together the various components. Each chapter is illustrated by a different artist of renown, who brings his own touch to the story at hand. Most remarkably, in my opinion, was the expressionistic style brought to the chapter dedicated to Despair. The story is titled "Fifteen Portraits of Despair," providing short vignettes of people at their worst moments. Obviously this is not an easy chapter to read, but it had the most emotional impact of any in the book. The darkly deep illustrations served to further hone that point, and they are worthy of any art gallery's walls. Being the most artistic and least like a comic book with such illustrations, this chapter seems (based on other reviews) to be the unpopular one, but I thought it was the highlight of the book.
The other chapters deal less with the emotions evoked by the Endless then by short snippets of events in their lives. An early dalliance for Dream is the subject of one chapter; a conquest for Death in another; and so on. As such, they don't really say much in my opinion or add much by way of character development. This book seems designed more as something for supercharged fans to sink their teeth in after having spent years sans any new Sandman material. Die-hard lovers of the original series no doubt love to read some more about their favorite characters but as a stand-alone comic, this book is just so-so. It's a fairly entertaining read and it's short story nature means you can skip ahead at any point without losing anything; for that reason, this makes a quick escapist read, so long as you're not too worried about delving into the darker side of humanity.
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attention to realize that I selected the final volume of the series rather than the first (a doh! moment if there ever was one). So for me, this was an odd introduction to these characters and their universe. That being said, the book's structure of simple short stories made it easy enough to follow along without feeling in the least bit lost (although I'm sure knowledge of the whole series would probably have enriched the reading experience). Gaiman's brief introduction gives the most important details, reminding/introducing readers to the fact that the Endless are simply there - they are not gods, he asserts, but ever-fixed markers of humanity. In other words, the Endless are universal emotions and events we cannot avoid - death, dreams, despair, desire, etc., although I would argue he's wrong then about destiny being among their number. As a product, this is an absolutely gorgeous book. Separating each chapter are these beautiful photographs that carry a mask theme tying together the various components. Each chapter is illustrated by a different artist of renown, who brings his own touch to the story at hand. Most remarkably, in my opinion, was the expressionistic style brought to the chapter dedicated to Despair. The story is titled "Fifteen Portraits of Despair," providing short vignettes of people at their worst moments. Obviously this is not an easy chapter to read, but it had the most emotional impact of any in the book. The darkly deep illustrations served to further hone that point, and they are worthy of any art gallery's walls. Being the most artistic and least like a comic book with such illustrations, this chapter seems (based on other reviews) to be the unpopular one, but I thought it was the highlight of the book.
The other chapters deal less with the emotions evoked by the Endless then by short snippets of events in their lives. An early dalliance for Dream is the subject of one chapter; a conquest for Death in another; and so on. As such, they don't really say much in my opinion or add much by way of character development. This book seems designed more as something for supercharged fans to sink their teeth in after having spent years sans any new Sandman material. Die-hard lovers of the original series no doubt love to read some more about their favorite characters but as a stand-alone comic, this book is just so-so. It's a fairly entertaining read and it's short story nature means you can skip ahead at any point without losing anything; for that reason, this makes a quick escapist read, so long as you're not too worried about delving into the darker side of humanity.
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LibraryThing member krau0098
This is a set of stories featuring the Endless. Each Endless gets its own story. Although I didn’t enjoy this as much as the rest of the Sandman series, it was still fun to revisit the series.
Each story features a different Endless. A wide variety of illustration styles are seen throughout and I
If you are a fan of the Sandman series this is a must read. The characters and their stories are a bit ambiguous, but then the Endless are vague and vast concepts so I felt that it fit well.
All of the illustration styles fit their stories well. Illustration ranged from the beautiful (Morpheus’s story), to the incredibly disturbing (Despair’s chapter).
Overall an excellent addition to the Sandman series. A must read if you are a fan of the series. I didn’t think the stories were as good as the original series, but they were still entertaining. The illustration covered a wide breadth of styles and was very good.
Each story features a different Endless. A wide variety of illustration styles are seen throughout and I
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enjoyed them all. Gaiman's writing continues to be spot on and really captures the mood of each of the Endless.If you are a fan of the Sandman series this is a must read. The characters and their stories are a bit ambiguous, but then the Endless are vague and vast concepts so I felt that it fit well.
All of the illustration styles fit their stories well. Illustration ranged from the beautiful (Morpheus’s story), to the incredibly disturbing (Despair’s chapter).
Overall an excellent addition to the Sandman series. A must read if you are a fan of the series. I didn’t think the stories were as good as the original series, but they were still entertaining. The illustration covered a wide breadth of styles and was very good.
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LibraryThing member questbird
A collection of stories about the Sandman's brothers and sisters, the Endless. Death, Dream, Desire, Despair, Delerium (formerly Delight), Destruction and Destiny each get a story illustrated by a different artist. The artwork is good. If you have not read the Sandman books the stories are
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disjointed and a bit precious. Even if you have read Sandman (as I have) they do not particularly illuminate their subjects or their relationships with the other Endless. They seem to me to be extra tales which could possibly have been added to the main Sandman story (at the risk of bloating it somewhat) but weren't. As their own collection, I found them a bit weak and disconnected. Show Less
LibraryThing member Nickidemus
The Basics
A collection of stories taking place in the Sandman universe, each focusing on a member of the Endless.
My Thoughts
This is currently the last of the Sandman stories as written by Neil Gaiman. It’s not essential to the main plot to read these, but for a fan, it’s a satisfying read and
For my part, Desire has always been my favorite, and his/her story was exactly in keeping with the spirit of Desire. And that’s the key. Even if the figure themselves is featured briefly, the spirit of what they are, who they are, is well on display. Despair, for instance, is more of a series of vignettes regarding her nature, and it fits.
Just how much they run the gamut as characters is exhibited here, as well. It’s obvious enough when they’re together being very different among themselves, but there’s a deeper level to it here. For example, Death’s story is gentle and playful with a sad twinge, yet Delirium’s story is disjointed and bizarre. The gaps between each of them serves to make their character development seem more solid. Even the artists’s separate approaches drive this home. And all the art is, of course, beautiful.
If you’re a fan, certainly read this. No matter who it is among them that fascinates you, it will deliver.
Final Rating
5/5
A collection of stories taking place in the Sandman universe, each focusing on a member of the Endless.
My Thoughts
This is currently the last of the Sandman stories as written by Neil Gaiman. It’s not essential to the main plot to read these, but for a fan, it’s a satisfying read and
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worth adding to the collection. If you have a favorite Endless, chances are they’re given their moment to shine here. Even Destiny, with his cool-but-one-note ways.For my part, Desire has always been my favorite, and his/her story was exactly in keeping with the spirit of Desire. And that’s the key. Even if the figure themselves is featured briefly, the spirit of what they are, who they are, is well on display. Despair, for instance, is more of a series of vignettes regarding her nature, and it fits.
Just how much they run the gamut as characters is exhibited here, as well. It’s obvious enough when they’re together being very different among themselves, but there’s a deeper level to it here. For example, Death’s story is gentle and playful with a sad twinge, yet Delirium’s story is disjointed and bizarre. The gaps between each of them serves to make their character development seem more solid. Even the artists’s separate approaches drive this home. And all the art is, of course, beautiful.
If you’re a fan, certainly read this. No matter who it is among them that fascinates you, it will deliver.
Final Rating
5/5
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LibraryThing member DarthDeverell
In The Sandman: Endless Nights, Neil Gaiman presents a series of short stories about the Endless siblings (with the occasional appearance by Dream), each illustrated by some of the best in the comics business. My favorite stories are those of Death (titled "Death and Venice") and Dream ("The Heart
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of a Star"). Dream's story contains some nice references to the worlds of both Green Lantern and Superman. The two most creatively-executed stories are those of Despair ("Fifteen Portraits of Despair," illustrated by Barron Storey and designed by Dave McKean) and Delirium ("Going Inside," illustrated by Bill Sienkiewicz). Destruction, who made his largest appearance in The Sandman, Vol. 10: The Wake, reappears in his own tale here ("On the Peninsula"). Finally, the Destiny story ("Endless Nights") nicely caps the volume. These stories help to flesh out the worlds of the Endless without the limitations of the narrative arcs in the regular Sandman series. This will appeal primarily to those who have read the previous Sandman story lines and have background knowledge about the characters, though most of the stories are accessible enough to newcomers. Show Less
LibraryThing member writertomg
A fantastic collection of random stories of the entire family of the Endless. It was interesting to see Dream refer to Desire as his favorite sibling in the beginning of Dream's story.
Overall, an excellent follow-up to the best comic book run I have ever read.
Overall, an excellent follow-up to the best comic book run I have ever read.
LibraryThing member BenKline
Kind of a coda and end-cap to the family of the Sandman series. Each of the Endless (Death, Dream, Destiny, Destruction, Despair, Delight/Delirium, and Desire) each gets a story. Death, Dream, and Destruction have the best stories. Despair is more or less 15-page 'shorts' (portraits) of episodes of
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Despair/despairing. Destiny's is a bit of an endcap to the series/the family. Delight/Delirium's is confusing (for the obvious sake of the character), and that as well as Despair's is the hardest to read (given the subject matter) in the book. Its a shame Destiny's end-cap is little less/more of a poem, than anything else. As the character-sake of who/what Destiny is, has always fascinated me, and I thought arcs about him could make for an interesting spin-off from this series. Though, obviously Death would be the more likely target for a spin-off from Sandman. Not sure how a prolonged arc/character storyline Destiny could give, and he does better serve in small fragments. But the idea of fate/destiny and how entwined they are, much like Dr. Manhatten's ability to see the future but not alter it, has always taken up a fair bit of realtor space in my brain. Show Less
LibraryThing member devilwrites
The premise: ganked from BN.com: Featuring the popular characters from the award-winning Sandman series, THE SANDMAN: ENDLESS NIGHTS reveals the legend of the Endless, a family of magical and mythical beings who exist and interact in the real world. Born at the beginning of time, Destiny, Death,
My Rating
Glad I Borrowed It: This isn't something you should read unless you've already read The Sandman, and then, it's really not something you should spend money on unless you're a total fangirl/fanboy for this universe and/or Gaiman's work. This is something that's best read borrowed, so you can say you read it, but not feel cheated when you discover that not all of the stories are up to Gaiman's best work. It's got some great art in it though; however, that doesn't make up for the lack of storytelling in most of the sections. Sad, but true. :(
Review Style: Short and sweet with no spoilers. Just a brief reaction to each story about the Endless and some comment about art. If you're interested, you're welcome to the full review at my LJ. As always, comments and discussion are most welcome.
REVIEW: Neil Gaiman's THE SANDMAN: ENDLESS NIGHTS
Happy Reading!
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Dream, Desire, Despair, Delirium and Destruction are seven brothers and sisters who each lord over their respective realms. In this highly imaginative book that boasts diverse styles of breathtaking art, these seven peculiar and powerful siblings each reveal more about their true-being as they star in their own tales of curiosity and wonder.My Rating
Glad I Borrowed It: This isn't something you should read unless you've already read The Sandman, and then, it's really not something you should spend money on unless you're a total fangirl/fanboy for this universe and/or Gaiman's work. This is something that's best read borrowed, so you can say you read it, but not feel cheated when you discover that not all of the stories are up to Gaiman's best work. It's got some great art in it though; however, that doesn't make up for the lack of storytelling in most of the sections. Sad, but true. :(
Review Style: Short and sweet with no spoilers. Just a brief reaction to each story about the Endless and some comment about art. If you're interested, you're welcome to the full review at my LJ. As always, comments and discussion are most welcome.
REVIEW: Neil Gaiman's THE SANDMAN: ENDLESS NIGHTS
Happy Reading!
Show Less
LibraryThing member Linyarai
I wasn't a fan of the artwork and I couldn't get into most of the stories.